192 pages : 24 cm

"Whether you are a designer looking for tips, an artist seeking inspiration, or a passionate games enthusiast, The Art of Game Characters will provide you with everything you need to know in this essential, illustrated guide to the best in game character today. Characters featured hail from every game genre--from cute and cuddly creations such as Pac-Man and Mario, to sexy, sassy heroines like Lara Croft and Dark Lineage's Kya, and even brooding enigmas such as Jericho Cross. Interviews with the game designers reveal their sources of inspiration, along with fascinating early designs that show exactly how they went about turning a bright idea into a classic character. Helpful insider tips and techniques explain what makes a character grab the public's imagination, and provide a wealth of practical ideas for the would-be game artist. A complete guide to the most iconic game characters and how they were created. Featuring a wealth of examples from the best and most popular games worldwide. Comprehensive historical and thematic coverage that reveals the cultural sources and references behind character development and visualization. Behind-the-scenes insights into how the top game studios design successful game characters"--back cover

Includes index

1. Game cuties. Cute, but not necessarily cuddly ; Insider secrets: Fur fightin' -- 2. Big biceps. Muscular heroes ; Hands on: Sources of inspiration -- 3. Sexy and sassy. Women in a boy's world ; Insider secrets: The feminine kick ; Game character creation / by Sandy Spangler -- 4. Mad, bad, and dangerous to know. Byronic heroes ; Insider secrets: Shootout in ghost town -- 5. Femme fatale. Bad girls ; Hands on: Concept art -- 6. The reluctant hero. It's a bum rap ; Arabian arts: The Prince of Persia -- 7. Fascinating flaws. The antihero ; Insider secrets: World domination -- 8. Mainly by cunning. The trickster ; Insider secrets: Night raiders -- 9. It could be you. The modern everyman ; Hands on: The art of modeling -- 10. Baby face. Manga ; Hands on: The gift of life--Animation -- 11. Behind the mask. Personae in first-person games ; Insider secrets: Ship shape -- 12. Do you speak Elvish? Fantastic creatures and faerie folk ; Hands on: Game costume -- 13. Monster mash. Robots, dinosaurs, and aliens ; Insider secrets: Odd glob -- 14. Oddballs. The wackiest characters of all ; Insider secrets: Into the machine -- 15. Bosses from hell. Obeying orders ; A great lineage: Square enix ; Insider secrets: Widescreen

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